Manifest Destiny

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BC: Manifest Destiny Journals

FC: Collection of Manifest Destiny Journals Mark Rothermund

1: October 29, 1843 Dear Diary, Today is the day on which we will leave our poor, horrible life in Missouri for a life full of opportunity out west. My family of 7 and I will follow the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico. We might not make it all the way because of our scarce amount of supplies, so we are prepared to stop anywhere along the way to make home. A group will be traveling with us for means of protection and encouragement. May God bless us. John Winston

2: February 29, 1836 Dear Diary, As an American who was invited to Texas with a promise of land, I still feel my rights are being oppressed. Despite being the majority, our rights to life, liberty, and property have all been limited by the Mexicans. In retaliation, we are now at war with them. Last year, at the battle of the Alamo, Texans had been ruthlessly murdered by the hands of our oppressors. We are ready to avenge our fallen comrades. We will be led by Sam Houston to defeat Santa Anna. I realize that we might not know how to govern ourselves if we win, likely leading to anarchy, but it must be better than how we are living now! Remember the Alamo! Andrew McHenry

3: June 16, 1846 Dear Diary, The Oregon Treaty was signed yesterday. It ended a twenty-eight year long joint occupation of the northwest region by the United States of America and Great Britain. The result of the compromise was a border at 49 degrees north which established the Oregon Territory. This was decided by President James K. Polk and Prime Minister Robert Peel This is great because there are many Americans who live in Oregon because of the Oregon Trail. Anonymous

4: March 3, 1847 Because our beloved leader Joseph Smith was killed due to our Mormon belief of polygamy, I, Brigham Young, will take his place and be his successor. Day by day in the Utah Territory, we are becoming more and more prosperous. This is thanks to our old leader for giving us the tools and skills we needed to achieve this goal.

5: January 10, 2012 Dear Diary, I am recollecting on the past of California as well as seeing the impact that the past has on the present. Because of the California Gold Rush, the population of California had significantly risen. The cause of the Gold Rush was when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. As news got around, some 300,000 people came rushing into California in search of wealth. Although this may seem good, it posed several negative effects and problems. The Native American population greatly decreased due to disease, starvation, and attacks. Many people who went there also died. Still, it had some positive impacts like making new cities, forming new roads, schools, and churches, and improving transportation from east to west. Amy Fowler

6: February 4, 1848 Dear Diary, Two days ago, the Treaty of Hidalgo was signed! It gave up Texas, set the Rio Grande as the southern border of the Us, and gave us New Mexico and California as well! Our country is growing bigger by the day! Because of this gain, Mexico is mad at us and it sets the stage for more westward expansion. As a southerner, I wasn't against the war. I was hoping for more slave states, but the northerners were against it for this very reason. We won battle after battle so our victory was eminent. God Bless America!